I think that in retrospect I could have used a
different tone, a different rhetoric
Tom Baldwin and Gerard Baker in Ljubljana

President Bush has admitted to The Times that his
gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he
was a guy really anxious for war in Iraq. He said
that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy
of international diplomacy for tackling Iran.

In an exclusive interview, he expressed regret at the
bitter divisions over the war and said that he was
troubled about how his country had been misunderstood.
I think that in retrospect I could have used a
different tone, a different rhetoric.

Phrases such as bring them on or dead or alive, he
said, indicated to people that I was, you know, not a
man of peace. He said that he found it very painful
to put youngsters in harms way. He added: I try to
meet with as many of the families as I can. And I have
an obligation to comfort and console as best as I
possibly can. I also have an obligation to make sure
that those lives were not lost in vain.

The unilateralism that marked his first White House
term has been replaced by an enthusiasm for tough
multilateralism. He said that his focus for his final
six months in office was to secure agreement on issues
such as establishing a Palestinian state and to leave
behind a series of structures that makes it easier for
the next president.

Mr Bush is concerned that the Democratic nominee
Barack Obama might open cracks in the Wests united
front towards Tehrans nuclear ambitions. At the EU-US
summit in Slovenia, he pressed for tougher sanctions
against Iran unless it agreed to suspend its uranium
enrichment programme verifiably: They can either face
isolation, or they can have better relations with all
of us.

Mr Bush told The Times that when his successor arrived
and assessed what will work or what wont work in
dealing with Iran, he would stick with the current
policy.

Shaul Mofaz, a hardline Israeli minister, has
suggested that a military strike on Iran is
unavoidable. But Mr Bush said: We ought to work
together, keep focused. His comments really should be
viewed as the need to continue to keep pressuring
Iran.

The President was keen to bind his successor into a
continued military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq,
but offered only cautious optimism about a recent
decline in violence. Asked about corruption
allegations dogging Hamid Karzai, the Afghan
President, Mr Bush insisted: I have found him to be
an honest man.

He also offered words of encouragement for another
ally, Gordon Brown, whom he will meet on Sunday. He
said that he needed no advice on coping with political
adversity. He is plenty confident and plenty smart,
plenty capable  he can sort it out.

But he delivered a thinly veiled warning to Mr Obama
that his promises to renegotiate or block
international trade deals were already causing alarm
in Europe and beyond.

There is concern about protectionism and economic
nationalism, he said. Leaders recognise now is the
time to get ahead of this issue before it becomes
engrained in the political systems of our respective
countries.

Acknowledging that his refusal to ratify the Kyoto
Protocol once created consternation in Europe, he said
that there was now a recognition that that richer
countries needed to transfer out of the hydrocarbon
economy. He insisted, however, that any binding
emission targets would have to include China and India
to be workable.

The President knows that Republican nominee-in-waiting
John McCain will have to distance himself from the
current Administration. "He's an independent person
who will make his decisions on what he thinks is
best."

Asked if the US is ready for a black president, Mr
Bush says: "I think the fact that the Democratic Party
nominated Barack Obama is a statement about how far
America has come.

"Having that all that, it's going to be important for
the American people to figure out who can handle the
task of the 21st Century. It's a challenging job."

President Bush has admitted to The Times that his
gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he
was a guy really anxious for war in Iraq. He said
that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy
of international diplomacy for tackling Iran.

In an exclusive interview, he expressed regret at the
bitter divisions over the war and said that he was
troubled about how his country had been misunderstood.
I think that in retrospect I could have used a
different tone, a different rhetoric.

Phrases such as bring them on or dead or alive, he
said, indicated to people that I was, you know, not a
man of peace. He said that he found it very painful
to put youngsters in harms way. He added: I try to
meet with as many of the families as I can. And I have
an obligation to comfort and console as best as I
possibly can. I also have an obligation to make sure
that those lives were not lost in vain.

The unilateralism that marked his first White House
term has been replaced by an enthusiasm for tough
multilateralism. He said that his focus for his final
six months in office was to secure agreement on issues
such as establishing a Palestinian state and to leave
behind a series of structures that makes it easier for
the next president.

Mr Bush is concerned that the Democratic nominee
Barack Obama might open cracks in the Wests united
front towards Tehrans nuclear ambitions. At the EU-US
summit in Slovenia, he pressed for tougher sanctions
against Iran unless it agreed to suspend its uranium
enrichment programme verifiably: They can either face
isolation, or they can have better relations with all
of us.

Mr Bush told The Times that when his successor arrived
and assessed what will work or what wont work in
dealing with Iran, he would stick with the current
policy.

Shaul Mofaz, a hardline Israeli minister, has
suggested that a military strike on Iran is
unavoidable. But Mr Bush said: We ought to work
together, keep focused. His comments really should be
viewed as the need to continue to keep pressuring
Iran.

The President is keen to bind his successor into a
continued military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq,
but offered only cautious optimism about a recent
decline in violence. Asked about corruption
allegations dogging Hamid Karzai, the Afghan
President, Mr Bush insisted: I have found him to be
an honest man.

He also offered words of encouragement for another
ally, Gordon Brown, whom he will meet on Sunday. He
said that the Prime Minister needed no advice on
coping with political adversity. He is plenty
confident and plenty smart, plenty capable  he can
sort it out.

But he delivered a thinly veiled warning to Mr Obama
that his promises to renegotiate or block
international trade deals were already causing alarm
in Europe and beyond.

There is concern about protectionism and economic
nationalism, he said. Leaders recognise now is the
time to get ahead of this issue before it becomes
engrained in the political systems of our respective
countries.

Acknowledging that his refusal to ratify the Kyoto
Protocol once created consternation in Europe, he said
that there was now a recognition that that richer
countries needed to transfer out of the hydrocarbon
economy. He insisted, however, that any binding
emission targets would have to include China and India
to be workable.

The President knows that Republican nominee-in-waiting
John McCain will have to distance himself from the
current Administration. "He's an independent person
who will make his decisions on what he thinks is
best."

Asked if the US is ready for a black president, Mr
Bush says: "I think the fact that the Democratic Party
nominated Barack Obama is a statement about how far
America has come.

"Having said all that, it's going to be important for
the American people to figure out who can handle the
task of the 21st Century. It's a challenging job."

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